History & Biography Having taken the name from a Finnish murder case, COB has risen in popularity thanks to a mix of speed metal, screaming vocals and commercial keyboards. Children Of Bodom's Hate Crew Deathroll entered Finland's album charts at position number one.
That did not stop guitarist and songwriter Alexander Kuoppala from leaving the band following the band's appearance at the Helsinki 'Tuska' Festival in July of 2003. Former Stone and Sinergy guitarist Roope Latvala joined the band for live activity including tours with Soilwork and Dimmu Borgir in 2003. Fans would also note that Alexi Laiho was also active in Sinergy.
The band had a new EP called Trashed, Lost & Strungout in the autumn of 2004. The band's Are You Dead Yet? album was released on September 14th in Finland and September 19th elsewhere. The band's first single, called In Your Face, was out on August 17th. The new album features a new set of influences according to the band. A single featured a Britney Spears cover. A tour with Amon Amarth and Trivium was planned. While performing in early 2006, Spain singer/guitarist Alexi Laiho broke a toe. Laiho promised to keep touring nevertheless. Alexi Laiho broke a bone in his shoulder at the start of 2007 due to a bowling accident. The band's appearance at the Desert Rock festival in Dubai was therefore cancelled. The band’s new album Blooddrunk was out through Spinefarm Records in April, 2008. The album was partly recorded by Peter Tägtgren. Singer and guitarist Alexi Laiho and bassist Henkka Seppälä founded a clothing line in 2008 called Wildchild Industries. Children Of Bodom, Cannibal Corpse and Finland’s Diablo were touring Europe in January, February and March of 2009. The band was compiling a dozen or so cover versions it had recorded over the years and issuing them on one disc in the autumn. The band dropped off the No Fear Energy Tour with Lamb Of God and As I Lay Dying in 2009. Singer and guitarist, Alexi Laiho, broke his shoulder following a fall from his bunk bed in May and, despite initially vowing to proceed, decided to take heed doctor’s orders and go home. Hypocrisy enlisted the help of Children Of Bodom guitarist/frontman Alexi Laiho for its 2009 North American tour. Alexi agreed to temporarily fill the vacant guitarist spot on the tour with Ensiferum, Ex Deo, Blackguard and Swashbuckle. Hypocrisy was next delayed by US visa rules. Not to be left behind, Roope Latvala appeared on Soulgrind’s The Tuoni Pathway album in 2010. The children were writing a new album for themselves. Black Label Society would headline the Black Label Berzerkus tour in North America in autumn 2010. The two-month trek would also feature Clutch, Children Of Bodom and 2cents. Children Of Bodom would release its new album, Relentless Reckless Forever, on March 8th, 2011 through Universal Music. The first single and video was for the song Was It Worth It?. Children Of Bodom began a headlining tour of Australia in November of 2011. Support came from the Perth-based Voyager. The band would undertake a North American headlining tour in celebration of the band's 15th anniversary in January and February of 2012. Support would come from Eluveitie, Revocation and Canada's Threat Signal. Children Of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho was taken to the Oslo hospital on July 3rd, 2012 with extreme stomach pain. The band’s show was cancelled. Finnish band Children Of Bodom signed a Japanese record deal with Marquee Inc in 2012. Halo Of Blood entered the German charts at position number 18. Alexi Laiho was turning the Senaatintori (Senate Square) in Helsinki capital of Finland into a concert forum. Alexi was officially composing a song for the Helsinki Festival and had 100 electric guitarists backing him on August 14th 2015 at 6:00PM. In mid-2015, guitarist Roope Latvala was unceremoniously booted from Children Of Bodom. Roope would later imply his band members had betrayed him and gone corporate on him after shutting him out and referring him to the band’s lawyers. He would also blame the band’s newer American management (David Entertainment Group, which later merged with Strong Management, which had replaced Continental Concerts). The band recruited Antti Wirman, the brother of the group’s keyboardist Janne Wirman, to play second guitar at upcoming shows. The brothers had a band called Warmen. Children Of Bodom would release its 2015 album, I Worship Chaos, on October 2nd through Nuclear Blast. The band once again recorded at Helsinki, Finland's Danger Johnny Studio. Megadeth and Lamb Of God would co-headline a UK tour in November, 2015. Children Of Bodom and Sylosis would open. Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler was to pull double duty on the tour following being recruited by Megadeth. Children Of Bodom performed most of its debut album, Something Wild, on a European tour in 2017 to commemorate its twentieth anniversary. Children Of Bodom would Tour North America With Carach Angren, Lost Society, Uncured In Autumn Of 2017. Children Of Bodom released an album called Hexed through Nuclear Blast in March. Children Of Bodom embarked on the Hexed 2019 Canada and USA tour in the spring. Swallow The Sun and Wolfheart were to open. Children Of Bodom lost three members in late 2019 and was to play a final concert with bassist Henri "Henkka T. Blacksmith" Seppälä, drummer Jaska Raatikainen and keyboardist Janne Wirman using the A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom monicker in Finland in December. Former bassist Henri Seppälä joined a Finland-based rock band called Moon Shot. Former singer and guitarist Alexi Laiho had a new act called Bodom After Midnight. Former guitarist Daniel Freyberg, bassist Mitja Toivonen (ex-Santa Cruz), drummer Waltteri Väyrynen (Paradise Lost) and piano player Lauri Salomaa are also in. Since losing three members, Laiho being in the minority prevented him from keeping the Children Of Bodom monicker.
Bodom After Midnight, the band of former singer and guitarist Alexi Laiho, signed a deal with Napalm Records. An album was due late 2021. Alexi died in December 2020. He had been battling health issues and alcoholism for years. His legal widow, American Kimberly Goss of Sinergy, etc., and Laiho's family became embroiled in a war of words when she demanded to participate in the funeral in exchange for granting them the right to bury his remains. The family counter-claimed that she was unwelcome and had not remained close to the Laiho as she claimed. Godd and Laiho had married in 2002 after spending several years in Sinergy. He would subsequently date Kristen Mulderig, who managed Slayer, and marry an Australian publicist. This marriage was reportedly invalid as he had not divorced Goss.
Three Children Of Bodom members, Henri "Henkka T. Blacksmith" Seppälä (bass), Jaska Raatikainen (drums) and Janne Wirman (keyboards), opened the Bodom Bar & Sauna in Espoo, Finland in November 2022. The location combined a bar with a sauna and display Children Of Bodom memorabilia. Then there was the photo exhibition and endless merchandise and re-releases to come.
What would become Children Of Bodom’s final concert, which took place at the Black Box in Helsinki Ice Hall on 15.12.2019 was released as a live record. Alexi, the band’s frontman, died a year later. Former members Henri "Henkka T. Blacksmith" Seppälä, Jaska Raatikainen and piano man Janne Wirman had a book about the band in 2023 and even offered a special price to subscribers. The reactivated Warmen performed at the Tuska Festival in Helsinki, Finland in 2024. Half the set was comprised of Children Of Bodom cover versions.
Reviews CHILDREN OF BODOM - HATE CREW DEATHROLL - SPINEFARM/CENTURY MEDIA
This writer would not be divulging an immense secret by revealing the new album of Children Of Bodom to be a complete and utter sordid joke of sorts - one that comes at the expense of the buying public of course. Getting past the obvious comical use of (heaps of) keyboards in 'metal,' the Finnish trend-jumpers have released yet another post-Iron Maiden sounding CD based on the work of more popular acts like Dark Tranquillity and In Flames. Where the band's treble speed 'metal' takes a further nose dive is the band's obvious and transparent attempts at satire. Be it the album's title (deathroll fans, anybody?), song titles like Bodom Beach Terror or L'il Bloodred Ridin' Hood, the Slayer riff played in a different key on You're Better Off Dead or even the sped up Guns 'n Roses song (acting as the title track here), these children have a long way to go to achieve respectability. As if proof were needed, this album went all the way to the top of the Finnish charts upon release - enough really said! - Ali "The Metallian"
CHILDREN OF BODOM - TRASHED, LOST & STRUNG OUT - SPINEFARM/CENTURY MEDIA
Children Of Bodom has issued a new EP in order to keep it in the public spotlight, but is the marketing formula something the fan wants to invest in? You decide.
The album features fifteen-minutes of standard COB music, which is to say fast guitar rhythms, raspy screams and keyboards mix in a whirlwind of speed pop. The title track is up first and starts with a replica Slayer riff. From there on it is more standard Bodomy. Knuckleduster is heavier and features less keyboards. This one has some genuine metallic moments and has a solo which sounds like a Megadeth audition. Sadly, this song too features a bunch of synthesizer sounds. Two filler songs follow in the form of a Alice Cooper and a Andrew W.K. cover which, goes without saying, are boring and trite beyond description. Cover versions, oooh what a novel idea! More interesting is the video footage included. There is a video clip for the title track and a fifteen-minute documentary on the band and Helsinki with a good dose of humour mixed in. The Trashed & Lost In Helsinki film even has a funny story to go with it and is something different and perhaps worthwhile. - Ali "The Metallian"
Interviews Finland's own deliverer of a unique style of power death metal, Children Of Bodom's Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho, already in the thrones of drunkenness lays his smack down about the band's new release in the making and the tour of 2004. Due to mishaps in relation to this interview with intoxication, moments of interruption and a bad telephone connection that seemed more like a cell phone nightmare, artful writer Jussi persisted on.
Salvaging much of the conversation for the readers to get an inside glimpse into this mastermind of guitar terror, Alexi unleashes upon mankind and tells it all. - 28.01.2005
METALLIAN: How are things with you lately? I heard that you broke your arm.
ALEXI: I'm doing fine. Thing that happened is that I was drunk, drunk with some friends. I slipped and then landed on my wrist, and also landed on my face. Not the smartest thing to do.
METALLIAN: What has the response been to the Trashed, Lost And Strungout EP?
ALEXI: So far really good compared with the previous album since there was almost a six month gap between both. The response to the album has been good and also for the covers that we did. We really had fun with what we did.
METALLIAN: How was the tour with Lamb Of God and Fear Factory this past year?
ALEXI: It was a really good tour. I think the best one we did, our third tour that is. On the first tour people did know who we were, second tour people started to know more about us. Third, more people were taking notice. Good feeling for a lot of shit touring, more people got into it.
METALLIAN: On the Trashed EP the band did a cover of Andrew W.K's She Is Beautiful. Why that remake of that song?
ALEXI: It was a surprise. We do covers more to get a reaction. I mean we did covers from Billy Idol, The Ramones, Slayer and Judas Priest. Nothing predictable. We did Rebel Yell, people were all like "what the hell" (laughs). We did two covers to do something crazier. So far we got a good reaction. Either people love it or they don't.
METALLIAN: We heard that there are plans in the works to release new material within this year. What can one expect from this new release?
ALEXI: Well it is kinda hard to write music. I Cannot play due to my injury. We can expect to be more extreme and heavier. More in your face metal. It is what we are all about.
METALLIAN: There was also the news that you contributed to Guitar World's inaugural CD, what was that like?
ALEXI: It was a big deal for me. I am more a guitar player than a singer. It went really cool. I'm in LA right now. And I just did a photo shoot with Zakk Wyld and Steve Vai. Taking photos with him was a good thing. Most definitely worth it.
METALLIAN: What was your reaction to being one of the nominees for the Emma gala in the best hard rock/metal album of the year category for Hate Crew Deathroll?
ALEXI: Actually what happened was that it was a new comer thing. We never won. For me and the band and every extreme band we try to get our music out there to where we can bring our music to. We hit the official charts in Finland. We were in the charts more than Britney Spears.
METALLIAN: With the increasing attention that the band is generating, do you think that this also opens doors for other Finnish bands of this type of music to be taken more seriously on a broader front?
ALEXI: I certainly hope so, I want to pump others up. I am sure there are more bands coming out. Like Nightwish are big in the States. I think the metal scene in my opinion is getting bigger. All of a sudden there are bands like In Flames and Dimmu Borgir. More of the Scandinavian bands are getting noticed.
METALLIAN: Where do you see the band in the next five years?
ALEXI: No fucking idea! Seriously we are trying to be realistic. We might be dead or out there doing our own thing. One thing we agreed to, if an album does well we appreciate what we do. Instead of fading away, we do what needs to be done.
METALLIAN: With the newer material soon in the works, what are some of the concepts or ideas that are going into this release that sets it apart from the other albums?
ALEXI: Well, thing is not to have any drastic change. It is still going to be different; a kind of a natural development. Not to please everybody, just doing what we do. Not having any pressure. Trying not to think about it.
METALLIAN: Name one of your favourite bands to tour with and say why.
ALEXI: (thinking in response) First album I ever owned was the first WASP album, first Motley Crue and Poison. Steve Vai's album Passion and Warfare. A lot of other death metal stuff.
METALLIAN: (redirecting the question again) One of your favorite bands to tour with. And why?
ALEXI: We get along with everyone mostly from the Scandinavian bands. Hypocrisy, Shadows Fall. They were cool. Really diggin' them. Love the Fear Factory, Lamb of God, all cool dudes.
METALLIAN: Anything new to report beside working on the new album?
ALEXI: Working! Working on the new Sinergy. Recording the whole last summer pretty much. I'm working on something all the time. Not as a job, but for the fun of it.
METALLIAN: What was the most annoying thing an interviewer asked you?
ALEXI: Like ask(ponders the question) what they all ask is the question they ask about is the album covers or ask what is the next album or purpose of the CD. It is not a stupid question, but I get that all the time. It pisses me off when they ask the differences between the old albums. They ask me to get detailed. But I'm not going into it.
METALLIAN: Thank you for you this interview and wish you a speedy recovery on your arm.
ALEXI: Hey, thank you too.
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